How to Ride in a Car in 2004

In 2004, my younger brother got the iPod.  The iPod.  The original.  You know.  The one with the four buttons above the circular scroller?  That one.

We were pretty excited to have a new place to put our treasure trove of illegally pirated music.  We quickly emptied our Limewire music library onto the MP3 player, and the device was suddenly packed with great songs like "Unknown Artist - Track 1" and "Unknown Artist - Track 5".  

After transferring all of our music, the next step was to make sure that the iPod could be enjoyed while riding in my newly acquired (used) car.  We hopped into my 1999 Galant and made our way to the nearest Wal-Mart to pick up a tape deck adapter.  

Ahhhh the tape deck adapter.  A cassette tape with an auxiliary cord hanging out of it.  What an invention.  How the hell did those things even work?  No matter.

On the way home, my younger brother plugged the iPod into the tape deck adapter and pressed play.  

A nicer drive through the Missouri countryside has never been had...

London Calling

Over the years, Americans have come to expect one thing from any proper English band: from The Beatles, to Queen, to The Clash, to Coldplay, we have come to expect a certain "pop sensibility" from British rock music.  The catchier and more infectious, the better.

As always, there is a wave of new bands from the UK waiting for their turn to make a splash in the US.  Here are 3 new bands (with 3 very catchy singles) that I think might do it:


THEME PARK

These guys are a bit of a mystery band.  I haven't been able to dig up too much information on them (their band name is remarkably un-google-friendly); but, listening to their single "Jamaica" was enough to make me believe that there could be big things in store for Theme Park in the future.





THE CROOKES

The Crookes hail from Sheffield, England.  The band has a no-frills approach to their music that is a throwback to great britrock bands like The Futureheads and Maximo Park.  The sound is very smart, and oh so British

The second studio album from The Crookes is set to release in the US on October 1.  Check out their first single entitled, "Afterglow".





THE 1975

This Manchester-based quartet has created a lot of buzz with their new EP entitled "IV.  Lead singer Matt Healy said that one of the band's largest musical influences is filmmaker John Hughes (which is extremely rad).

The 1975's first single off of the the EP is entitled "Chocolate", and it is best played at obnoxiously high volumes.

Uncovering: "Intimacy" by Bloc Party

Bloc Party burst onto the indie music scene when they released their debut album, "Silent Alarm" in 2005. Following the success of Silent Alarm, the band was widely considered to be one of the best new acts out of Great Britain in recent years.  Two years after Silent Alarm, Bloc Party enjoyed another warm reception from critics with their second studio album entitled "A Weekend in the City".  Then, the band surprised everyone by quickly churning out a third studio album that took them in a new musical direction...

Bloc Party released "Intimacy" in 2008.  The album was greeted with lukewarm reviews and was considered by many Bloc Party fans to be a "dud".  The harsh reception occurred for two reasons:

1.  Intimacy was a large musical departure from the first two albums

2.  Intimacy was ahead of its time.

Bloc Party delved fully into the world of electro-infused indie rock for Intimacy.  The album was drenched with synthesizers, drum machines, voice modulation, and everything else that has become commonplace for music in 2013.  Essentially, Intimacy was a taste of 2013 in 2008.  But, that was the problem.  People weren't ready for the sound of Intimacy, and the album was largely dismissed.

Bloc Party pushed the proverbial envelope with Intimacy.  The album was a masterful fusion of the worlds of rock and electronica.  Bloc Party correctly identified the future of music, and then they beat everyone else to the punchline.  

One of my favorite songs on the album, "Ion Square", is an ethereal ballad that builds wonderfully with layers of sound.  Something about this particular song sticks with you; as the layers build and the final chorus bursts into life you can't help but feel the emotion in Kele Okereke's words:

"I carry your heart here with me.  I carry it in my heart."



Although Intimacy never reached the popularity of "Silent Alarm" or "A Weekend in the City", the album was still a wonderful achievement.  Intimacy helped usher in a new era of music.  Perhaps the greatest aspect of the album is how well it translates in 2013.  Take a listen for yourself.  You might be surprised that the album was released more than 5 years ago:

Some highlights:  Trojan Horse, Talons, Your Visits Are Getting Shorter, Biko, Letter to My Son, One Month Off